Not everyone has a chance to in their life time to witness five generations together in the same room. I consider myself lucky to have had this pleasure. My wife has a great grandmother (affectionately known as Mammaw), who I have heard about since I first started dating her. I have heard stories of a spit fire woman who was in her 90's and still lived at home. She had been a widow for around 25 years and, usually being the oldest one in the room, she often felt comfortable telling everyone "just how it is!" When her husband 'Tata' died, whom she loved very much but was a penny pincher, she replaced all her house furniture for nicer versions. When asked what she did with the old furniture, she simply said in a thick southern accent "I took it out to the bayou and set fire to it!" I am sure everyone half-believes that she did, no one really knows. Upon a visit during my wives childhood Mammaw was cooking and turned to Katherine and said "I used to whip your grand-daddies ass, 'cause thats what asses are for!" I am sure that Katherine has benefited much in years since learning this valuable piece of knowledge. Being the spit fire that she is, she seemed to have maintained a clear mind most of her days, and that has enabled her to live on her own and get her drivers license renewed even at a young age of 97 - and renewed for 12 years. I have long heard all her stories, but never had the opportunity to meet her, but plans were loosely set to visit her in Louisiana in October for her 100th birthday.
Last month, a few days after we made our big move to Washington for the year, we found out that Mammaw's health was taking a turn for the worse, and if we wanted to see her alive we should come. We wanted to introduce her to our son Levi and take a 5 generation photo. We did get the chance, and in the picture that you see, Mammaw is in bed, Her son - Katherines grandpa is top left, Kat's Mom is top right, Katherine and her sister Melissa are next and the two babies on the bed - Levi and Corban, My son and Melissa and Nathan's son, respectively.
That is 5 Generations of family.
Mammaw didn't pass away yet but she was close, she had Congestive Heart Failure, and a Pacemaker that is doing 99% of the fireing for her heart, not bad for 99 I guess. She was eventually released and is in hospice care at her daughter's house, who we all know as Aunt Dee. The day before we arrived, Mammaw wasn't doing well and was only speaking in one word sentances. She said "Lynda?" (Kats mom)
"Tomorrow" they said.
"Babies?"
"Tomorrow" they told her once again.
"OK"
The next day when we arrived, and went to see her, we could see new energy in her for she wanted to meet these babies and say hello.
She was speaking in full sentances and it appeared as if she had almost made a full recovery. She seemed like this is what she had been waiting her whole life for, and yet the time had finally come and she could rest easy.
As an observer and never having met Mammaw before that day, I just decided to stand back and take it all in (as well as take pictures). I noticed that it was bitter-sweet because while this was the first meeting of all five generations, it might also be the last. When Tata died, he had just met Katherine for the first time, when she was not much older than Levi. This was kind of a comparison and a sobrity check. Everyone seemed to be overjoyed, yet fight off tears of remorse for another generation passing. As I took the picture above, I started to ponder the fact that Mammaw was born in '09 just like Levi, except 1909. I started to think of how the world had changed since she had been alive. She had known so many things in her life, such sorrows as the Flu pandemic of 1918, BOTH world wars plus many wars, the Great Depression as well as the current one, Pearl Harbor and 9/11. She had the joy of marrying her best friend and building a house and a life with him... but also the sorrow of losing him. Electricity and cars, telephones and cell phones... the list goes on. I wonder how much wisdom one gains over a century? But it is the passing of one generation and the beginning of another. Levi was born this year, and I started to think of what he will encounter in his life, what joys and sorrows he will know and eventually pass on to another generation. Life has never seemed so short in all my life as it did in that room. The things that seem to matter so much sometimes, like sports teams winning and my favorite TV shows or even the latest news, seemed to fade a bit and things like loved ones came more into view. When Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes
"1Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher,
"Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
3What advantage does man have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth remains forever.
5Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And hastening to its place it rises there again.
6Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.
8All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun."
I start to see the knowledge that our Lord gave him.
I feel privileged to have been there to see the 5 generations, and that my son got to be apart of it. I wish so much for my son to understand this and even though he won't remember it when he is older, I have many pictures and photos to show him and I get to tell him storys about the time that he met his great-great-grandmother and she passed the torch from one generation to another.
